Where the Desert Meets the Sea

A Novel

By: Werner Sonne, Steve Anderson - translator

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A moving novel about the fates of two women and those they love in the days surrounding the founding of the State of Israel.

Jerusalem, 1947: Judith, a young Jewish woman who survived Dachau concentration camp, arrives in Palestine after a treacherous journey and seeks refuge with her only remaining relative, her uncle. When Judith learns her uncle has died, she tries to take her own life in despair.

In Hadassah Hospital, Hana, an Arab nurse, saves Judith’s life by donating her own blood. A fragile bond of friendship develops between the two women, but it will face a harsh test over time.

Soon Hana’s fiancé Youssef learns that she, the daughter of a prominent Palestinian family, is in love with a Jewish doctor, and he becomes increasingly radicalized. Youssef joins the followers of a mufti who plans to drive the Jews into the sea. Judith, meanwhile, follows the Jewish Palmach officer Uri into the battle for Jerusalem.

Then the political situation worsens. In November, the United Nations adopts the Partition Plan for Palestine - and the violence erupts.

Author Werner Sonne worked for more than forty years as a television correspondent for ARD in Germany and abroad. He’s a sought-after expert in the fields of foreign and security policy. His intention for this novel was to show the human face of the Jerusalem conflict.

©2019 Werner Sonne. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Narrator mispronounces characters’ Hebrew names!

Sloppy that narrator says common Hebrew names inaccurately. Story is interesting and describes the time of Israel’s independence. Also a great. historical fiction text.

Interesting, unbiased, sadly true

I have read much about this time in our history. The author shows the facts on both sides. It is sad that this remains a problem. Excellent book!

Interesting

It is a sad story to tell and read. I think the author really tried to portray what it was like to live in such turbulence. I liked the author's comments at the end.

The narrator’s voice made it VERY difficult to love this book.

I absolutely applaud narrators esp when there are multiple characters voices. However the whimsical portrayal of the lead female characters irked my nerves. The historical aspects of the book are great yet the narration attempted to turn it into a sleazy romance novel. The love stories could be betrayed without a bad soap opera interpretation.

Fascinating story

I really appreciated the story and the multitude of perspectives in this novel. However, because the perspectives from various characters changed abruptly, it was challenging at times to track with the narrative as I listened to the audible book. I would be curious if reading the book would be easier.

Historical Fiction Relevant to Current Events

This heart wrenching historical fiction tells the story of the creation of the modern Jewish state in 1948. It is seen through the eyes of a young Jewish woman who was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp at the end of WWII and fled to Palestine.
The book is well researched. It held my interest in a way that a documentary history might not. It gave me a deeper understanding of the Arab / Isreali conflict that erupted in 1948 and continue unabated today.
One thread in the story is the bond between an Arab nurse and the Jewish heroine. It showed how friendship and peace are possible when people are willing set aside their religious and cultural differences and be "humans first".

Unbelievable!

This book makes it clear as to what is happening in the Middle East, regarding the fight over the historic city of Jerusalem.

Mispronounciaton of names was annoying

The narrator should have studied the pronunciation od names, places, and Hebrew words before narrating the story. The many mispronounciatons (including one of the central characters' name) was very distracting

Ends abruptly

It was a very good story and very enlightening about the Israel/Palestinian war of 1948 the author is not one sided and tells the story from both points of view

Love, friendship, family, war,

Love, friendship, family, war,
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022

A well written story filled with love, loss, friendship, beliefs, family and war. We meet two women that could not be more different and yet the same. Join in on the fragile bond between two women during the time of war.

I have always loved Coleen Marlo. She makes it all work and work well.